Smash-and-grab robbers terrorize California jewelry store employees: 'Weren't sure if they were going to die'

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San Jose jewelry store owner targeted in violent robbery

Heart of Gold owner Eric Orozco lost around $100k in merchandise as robbers use sledgehammers inside the mall, injuring his father. He said police told him there was nothing they could do about it.

A California jewelry store owner is speaking out after his business was hit by a violent smash-and-grab robbery, leaving his father injured by thieves who reportedly swiped more than $100,000 worth of merchandise. 

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Owner of "Heart of Gold" in San Jose, Eric Orozco, joined "Fox & Friends First" on Wednesday to discuss the incident that left his dad and other employees terrified for their lives.

"They terrified my family, they terrified all of our employees," Orozco told Carley Shimkus. "They weren't sure if they were going to die. They weren't sure how escalated those moments were. It was just some of the worst moments of some of their lives."

He added, "My dad was injured and... that really broke my heart to see. I mean, had the pressure been a little bit harder on his head, he could have died. So these guys came in and threatened lives."

According to Orozco, the robbery took place the day after the store reopened, after he closed his doors for an entire week out of fear of being targeted. 

A boarded up Michael Kors store in San Francisco, California amid a rise in smash-and-grab theft. 

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Amid a string of smash-and-grab robberies across the state, Orozco went to police to tell them he was fearful his store would be the next one targeted after noticing suspicious activity. 

"They let us know that there is nothing that they could do at that moment, that they almost had to let the crooks do more crime, more theft … in order to put these guys away for a long enough time," Orozco stated. 

"They let us know that if they... Didn't do enough of these crimes, and they were caught, they would be put away for a short amount of time," he continued. 

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Smash-and-grab robberies have struck many cities across the nation, with San Francisco and Los Angeles enduring a string of them in recent weeks as the crime wave continues. 

"These are not guys that care about people's lives, they don't care about our livelihood," Orozco said. 

"They're not worried about the decent men and women that are going to work, and they're coming and threatening us with violence, and they're threatening to take away the things that we've been earning for years, and they take it within a matter of seconds."